The morning mist hadn't fully lifted when the three of them set off along Luofu's quiet streets.
Bai Heng strode in front like a commander on parade, brimming with energy—like she was carrying some earthshaking secret in her sleeves.
"Where are we going?" Wei Qing asked casually. He had a bad feeling this fox was up to something.
"Hehe, secret!" Bai Heng spun around and winked at him, far too pleased with herself. "But it's definitely somewhere that'll shock you."
"And who knows—maybe you'll even run into some fellow travelers of yours, Dot-Dao sir. Like-minded souls and all that!"
Wei Qing fell silent.
Yeah. She was absolutely plotting something.
"We're heading to the General's Residence, aren't we?" he said flatly, tone confident.
At the word General's Residence, Liu Ying immediately edged a step closer to Wei Qing, eyes sharp on Bai Heng.
The General's Residence?
What was this supposed to mean—were they about to get surrounded?
"Tch. You just say the answer like that? Where's the fun?" Bai Heng complained, her ears drooping a little.
Wei Qing gave her an unimpressed look.
Please. Did she think he was a tourist who didn't know the roads?
This main avenue leading straight to the General's Residence—he could walk it with his eyes closed.
Bai Heng choked on his expression, rubbed her nose, and muttered under her breath, "Ugh, you're no fun at all."
"Fine, yes. The General's Residence." She waved her hands quickly. "But don't get tense, Miss Xing. We're not going to fight, and we're not arresting you."
"We're… uh… going to meet someone."
She paused, then reorganized her words with an innocent face—while her eyes slid toward Wei Qing in a way that screamed I'm doing this on purpose.
"Someone who might… resonate very strongly with Dot-Dao sir's… unique aesthetic."
Wei Qing already knew what she was aiming at. The corner of his mouth twitched.
This fox. Absolutely intentional.
"Jing Yuan?" Wei Qing said, almost certain.
"Bingo!" Bai Heng snapped her fingers. "Correct—no prize."
"It's our Luofu's rising star lately: the 'Closed-Eyes Little General,' Jing Yuan."
Then she sighed dramatically, as if she were announcing a tragedy to the universe.
"Honestly, that guy is miserable. Truly pitiful."
"Ever since some irresponsible person ran off, all of Luofu's weight got dumped on him. He's been grinding paperwork day and night—his hair's been falling out by the handful!"
"He's young, but he's already about to follow Yingxing's path. The poor thing's practically watching his hairline retreat in real time. He's so stressed."
Wei Qing: "..."
Ah. Jing Yuan.
Wei Qing had a decent read on Luofu's current power balance.
After his defection, Luofu hadn't appointed a new General for years—not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't.
Before he ran, the entire ship had been building momentum around him as the "chosen successor." Then he betrayed them. If Luofu immediately elevated some unknown nobody, it would scream we're broke and we've got no talent left.
And in this timeline, because Wei Qing had interfered early, the "High-Cloud Quintet" never became a famed title the way it should have.
So compared to the feats Wei Qing had once displayed, Jing Yuan—at least outwardly—still didn't measure up yet.
Not his fault. He simply wasn't at the same tier as the Dragon Venerable or the Sword Champion. And with the Divine General… gone, thanks to Wei Qing, that gap became impossible to ignore.
That was why Teng Xiao had returned to the seat himself: to stabilize Luofu, then slowly transfer power to Jing Yuan—while feeding him accomplishments, building him up, and preparing the stage.
Even this operation to lure "Qingzhou" into the open had been placed entirely in Jing Yuan's hands.
If Jing Yuan could personally suppress Luofu's traitor, then when he inherited the title of General, the universe would have no grounds to question his legitimacy.
"So?" Bai Heng asked brightly, practically bouncing. "Excited?"
I'm excited my ass, Wei Qing thought.
"May I ask," he said out loud, "why Miss Bai Heng is bringing us to meet the young General?"
Bai Heng's grin grew sharper.
"Obviously to do a good deed!" she declared with theatrical sincerity.
"Think about it—Jing Yuan's carrying Luofu on his back, and he's already worried about his hairline. It's tragic!"
"And really, it's all because of someone that the burden landed on him in the first place."
"Dot-Dao sir, as a Pure Beauty Knight, you'll help him, right? You definitely will, right?"
Wei Qing suddenly felt danger creeping up his spine.
"As a Pure Beauty Knight, I'm always willing to help," he said carefully. "But… how exactly am I supposed to assist General Jing Yuan with his… hairline concerns?"
"Does the Path of Pure Beauty include hair growth and scalp salvation? I wasn't aware."
Bai Heng's eyes lit up with wicked delight.
"Nope. Not in the records."
"But you yourself are the best medicine!"
She leaned closer and lowered her voice like she was sharing sacred doctrine.
"Look. Stress makes him lose hair, right? That's because his mood is heavy—too much work, too much pressure."
"And you—Dot-Dao sir—your outfit is so dazzling. So loud. So overflowing with vitality and artistic impact!"
"As long as you stand in front of him, your colors will blind him straight into happiness. His mood improves, pressure drops, hair stabilizes!"
"This is called… um… Visual Shock Therapy! We use the ultimate power of color-aesthetics to wash away his accumulated gloom!"
She spoke with such conviction that it almost sounded scientific.
Wei Qing's mouth twitched again.
He knew it. This fox was absolutely not up to any good.
And the thought hit him, sudden and grim:
After meeting Jing Yuan… do we have to go meet Jingliu next?
Beside him, Liu Ying's mood was souring.
Bai Heng's tone and timing made it hard not to suspect that Wei Qing had either revealed something last night—or slipped up and been noticed.
Otherwise what was this?
Dragging two "tourists" into the General's Residence to meet a so-called "Little General"?
Liu Ying didn't know the nickname, but the words Little General and General's Residence were enough.
Her hand quietly tightened behind her back around the SAM transformation device.
If Wei Qing gave the word, she'd knock this fox's head clean off.
Wei Qing noticed the tiny movement. Without looking, he patted her lightly between the shoulder blades—a calm, wordless "It's fine."
Then he looked at Bai Heng's face—radiant with the kind of sincerity only a shameless person could weaponize—and felt equal parts amusement and helplessness.
"I see," he said, nodding as if he'd truly been persuaded by the most ridiculous argument in the universe.
"Then… let's go."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 44
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